


This is Me (Fighting for you)

by Fanatic_weirdo



Series: Lightwood-Bane Family [15]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: (it's Chris), (not Alec and Magnus), Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bad Parenting, Established Relationship, Family, Family Drama, Forced Marriage, Hurt, Hurt Orignal Male Character, I'm Bad At Tagging, Love, M/M, Protective Alec Lightwood, Protective Magnus Bane, Protective Older Brothers, Protective Rafael Lightwood-Bane, They're good fathers, hurt max lightwood-bane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-03-30 15:17:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13954356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanatic_weirdo/pseuds/Fanatic_weirdo
Summary: Why would Chris break up with Max? How can Rafael choose between his brother and his Parabatai? And who does Alec and Magnus have to fight to fix their son's broken heart?Chris has a decision to make. Will he fight for Max or break both their hearts?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some people asked for more Max and Chris... this is what you get hahaha. Hope you enjoy! I don't own anyone you recognize

Alec would be lying if he said he wasn’t shocked to find Chris crying in the corner of his office. The 18-year-old was an optimist; he lit up every room he walked into, your bad day vanishing as Christopher Rothschild walked into it.

“Chris,” Alec said softly, not wanting to spook him. Chris’s eyes shot up to him, the green orbs filled with pain and tears. They were red and swollen, so clearly he’d been crying for a while. Alec didn’t say anything and neither did Chris, whose mind was clearly going wildly as to what his next move should be. Alec approached him slowly, giving him the chance to get up, or run, or shy away. None of those happened and Alec reached out taking Chris by the forearm and pulling him to his feet, wrapping his arms around the teenager. 

Chris let out a sound that was mix between a sob and a moan and it broke Alec’s heart. He’d known this kid since he was 5. His heart had always been open and bright and he’d loved Alec’s children with a fullness that no one else besides Alec and Magnus had managed. Chris didn’t see Rafael’s baggage or Max’s blue skin and Downworlder title. He just saw Rafael with his sideways smile and big eyes, and Max’s playful giggle and wild spirit. He’d made himself indispensable to all the Lightwood-Banes. Chris was the third son that Magnus and Alec had happily let join their family. He was the one pulling Rafael up and keeping Max on the ground. He fit into Alec’s arms as if he’d always been there, because he had. He’d watched the energetic, loud, knock-kneed boy grow into a strong, brave, intelligent man that he was so proud of. 

Suddenly Chris pulled away from him, shaking his head furiously.

“No, no, no, no,” he muttered as he back away from Alec as if he were a scared puppy. Alec had never seen Chris act like this before, Chris wasn’t afraid of anyone, least of all Alec. 

“Chris, hey, it’s me, it’s just Alec, you’re okay,” Alec tried, not moving forward as he didn’t want to freak Chris out more. Chris shook his head, wiping his face almost violently, as if the tears on his face were offensive. 

“-hate me. You’ll hate me. I hate me,” the words tumbled out of Chris’s mouth and it was jarring to hear such words in Chris’s voice. Alec stared at him. What could have possibly happened that would make Chris feel this way about himself, and, more importantly, about Alec. That Alec could hate him? Not in a million years. This time Alec didn’t care if Chris moved away; he had to hold him, he had to make sure Chris knew he would never hate him, that wasn’t something Alec could possibly feel for Chris. 

“Tell me what happened,” Alec ordered as he pulled the shaking Shadowhunter into his arms. Chris cried out in protest at being held, but then he fell slack in Alec’s arms and sobbed harder. Chris shook his head but nuzzled into Alec’s collarbone, as he was the shortest of the three younger boys. 

“Chris!” Rafael’s yell hit them and at first Chris flinched, in an attempt to get away, but then Rafael was pulling his father and Parabatai apart and wrapped his arms around Chris, shushing him gently even as Chris fully broke and wailed in his best friend’s arms. Alec looked at the two Shadowhunters in concern wondering how Rafael had found out whatever happened before Alec when he’d just been with Rafael in the debriefing room moments before he found Chris. And he was pretty sure Chris hadn’t been texting anyone in his clear grief. Rafael looked up at Alec and shook his head, telling Alec not to push. Alec nodded and moved to leave, but then the office door flew open and Max stood there, looking like a hurricane. His hair was in his face, his eyes were flashing with fury but filled with agony. His magic crackled around him, and Alec didn’t like how it felt, unpredictable and dangerous. 

“Fucking coward,” Max snarled and Alec knew immediately it was directed at Chris as Chris tensed and tried to escape Rafael’s arms, but Rafael wouldn’t let him go and instead moved so that his body was fully blocking Chris from Max. It would have been interesting to Alec if it hadn’t been so confusing. Since when did Rafael side with Chris over something that had clearly hurt his brother so much. Though if Alec was being honest, his instinct was telling him to protect Chris against his son as well. 

“How dare you protect him? He’s not worth your loyalty, Rafael, because he sure as fuck doesn’t have any!” 

Alec watched as Chris’s body collapsed in Rafael’s arms, and Rafael seemed to be having a hard time keeping it together, too. Obviously feeling the assault on Chris through is Parabatai link. 

“Stop it, Max,” Rafael hissed through gritted teeth as tears streamed down his face. Chris was silently sobbing in Rafael’s arms, his breath shaky and broken. Max held up his hands, magic growing and Alec jumped between his sons, glaring furiously at Max who blinked rapidly upon seeing his father in his path. 

“Get outside, now,” Alec growled. He didn’t know what was happening, but nothing warranted Max threatening Rafael or Chris with magic. 

Max deflated at the betrayal from both Shadowhunters. He scoffed, “Surprise, surprise. Shadowhunters always choose their own.” 

Alec had never heard that kind of talk from Max, not ever. He didn’t know where Max had even heard that. He slammed the office door in frustration as he followed his son out, grabbing his forearm, pulling him back to face him. 

“What the hell has gotten into you? I am not—Jesus fucking Christ Max,” Alec stared at him before shaking his head in disappointment and shock. Max looked up at him the anger flickering away to reveal nothing but hurt and sadness, tears falling down his cheeks. 

“He broke up with me,” Max whispered. 

Alec blinked; he was not expecting that. Just the night before, Chris and Max had been laughing and kissing on the couch, more in love each day. How was that possible? They barely even fought. Alec gathered Max into his arms, the lean, tall body trembling in his embrace. 

“Why would he do that, Daddy,” Max whimpered and Alec flinched, holding him tighter as his little boy sobbed. None of it made sense. From how distraught Chris was, Alec would have thought he’d been the one broken up with, but clearly Max’s young heart was shattered. “And he texted me! He couldn’t even do it to my face,” Max sobbed. That explained why Max had called Chris a coward. 

“There has to be a good explanation, Maxie,” Alec whispered, kissing his hair and rocking him back and forth comfortingly. “He loves you so much, I know he does, it has to be—”

“A misunderstanding?” The anger was back as he jerked out of Alec’s arms and shoved his phone in his face. 

My Ginger snap: I’m sorry Max, but I can’t be with you anymore.

The words were cold and not at all like Chris. The text before was:

My Ginger snap: Do u know how much I love u, my sweet little blueberry?

They didn’t match, in anyway. They didn’t even look like the same person wrote them. But it was ridiculous to think that Chris had been forced to write that by someone. Who would force an 18 year old to break up with his boyfriend? No one had ever had a problem with Chris and Max’s relationship. Even if there were a few Clave members who didn’t necessarily approve, they wouldn’t force Chris to break up with Max.

“Not much to interpret, is there,” Max asked, his lower lips shaking. Alec wiped Max’s cheek with the pad of his thumb. 

“We’re going to find out what this is about, Blue. Something fishy is going on here, okay,” Alec promised. 

Max seemed less than convinced. “I’m going to go home and be stereotypically heartbroken. Eat some ice cream and watch trashy rom-coms. I’ll—”

Suddenly Alec’s phone when off and he sighed heavily, pulling it out in case it was an emergency. 

“WHAT?” He read the text 10 times before handing it to Max and going back into his office. Rafael had moved them to the couch and Chris was sitting next to him, looking at his hands until Alec entered. “You’re getting married?!” 

For a moment Chris looked like a deer in the headlights before he moaned weakly. “I told them not to do that, I wanted to tell you all myself but I just cou—” 

He caught Max’s eyes as the Warlock walked back into the office. His eyes widened with sadness and desperation. Chris swallowed hard at the sight of the man he loved, the man he’d hurt so deeply. 

“Married?” Rafael asked quietly. “What the fuck, Chris?” 

“It’s not my decision! I don’t want to! It was my parents. They set it up and they—” Chris claimed before Max interrupted.

“Your parents? They’ve never had a problem with us. With me,” Max said softly, wondering if he’d misread Chris’s parents’ approval of him. Alec put his arm on Max’s shoulder in defense; now that it was revealed to involve Chris’s parents, Alec went back to his default protective mode. “Why did you agree?” tears were pouring down the blue teenager’s face. 

“I didn’t, Maxie,” Chris said and Max flinched at his nickname coming from Chris. “I don’t want to marry anyone but you, but they said—” 

Chris cut himself off. His throat closing in pain at the memory of what his parents had threatened. They threatened to hire a Warlock to take Chris’s memories, take his memories of Max. Chris couldn’t let that happen. He’d rather Max hate him, rather Rafael, Alec, and Magnus hate him, than forget Max and his love for the Warlock. Even if it hurt more, the idea of forgetting his beautiful Blue was inconceivable. 

“Can you come with me,” Max asked, his voice shaking with emotion. “I’ll portal us somewhere, we’ll talk and then we’ll come back and you can do what you have to—” 

Chris jumped up and grabbed Max’s hands, gripping them with a desperation that Alec had only ever seen in someone who was about to die. Max winced at the touch, but gripped back, leaning his head in to press their temples together. 

“We don’t have to come back. Portal to the ends of the earth and we’ll stay. We can be together. They’ll never find us, please,” Chris pleaded, begging his lover to save him. 

Max smiled sadly and shook his head, his hand going to the back of Chris’s neck and playing with the soft slight curls that hid there. 

“We can’t do that. You have a job, and I have a job. And we can’t leave Rafael. How will he get along without us?” 

Rafael watched the two, tears streaming down his face, his Parabatai’s pain, lighting every single cell in Rafael on fire. The pain in his little brother’s eyes something he cannot fix, failing at the most basic older brother job. He felt like he was dying; he felt like Chris was dying. 

Chris let out a sob and Max waved his hand, a portal appearing behind them. Max inhaled deeply and led them into the portal, Chris clutching his hand as if Max would leave him behind. As the portal closed Rafael and Alec looked at each other.

“Can I kill them or…” Rafael asked, Alec knowing exactly to whom Rafael was referring. 

“Only if you can make it look accidental,” Alec said sharply in response. How anyone could do that to their child Alec did not understand. Robert and Maryse had convinced him to, but in the end, it had been Alec’s decision. And he wasn’t deeply in love with Magnus at the time like Chris was with Max. Chris would never choose to do this. His parents had said something that convinced Chris, who was stubborn and strong-willed and a fighter, to submit without so much as a word to anyone before he was breaking his boyfriend’s heart. Alec sighed; this all felt painfully familiar. Then again, Alec had very much made the decision to break his and Magnus’s heart without any threats from his parents. And just like he had decided to break them, it had been him who had to put them back together. Chris was the only one who could fix this. 

Rafael stood in the middle of the office, looking more lost and off balance than Alec had seen him since he was a child. He carefully approached his oldest son and tucked a stray curl behind his ear—even if Rafael kept his hair cut neat and close, sometimes those wild curls got free. Rafael jumped slightly at the feeling, but then as he felt Alec’s arm snake around his shoulder he let it go. He stopped being the Parabatai and big brother, and he just let himself be his father’s little boy. He buried his face in Alec’s shoulder, shaking with the force of his pain for two of the most important people in his life. His heart was broken for both of them, for he knew neither of them wanted what was happening, and none of them knew how to fix it. 

“We need to go tell Papa,” Alec whispered his hold on Rafael not waning in the slightest. 

Rafael let out a hollow laugh mixed with a cry, and he pulled his face away just enough to look at Alec, “That’s going to go well.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is real short, but I'll be posting the 3rd chapter tomorrow!

As soon as they were through the portal Max released him and Chris felt like he was falling. He stumbled forward in an attempt to keep his balance and only barely managed it. He looked around. They were in Mexico City. This place didn’t hold good memories for them, which, of course, made it the ideal place for Max to bring them. He didn’t want to ruin anywhere with good memories with this moment. He’d portaled them to the Library of Mexico, a beautiful outdoor library made of stone engraved with words on the walls. There were plants surrounding them. 

“Max,” he whispered as Max had his back to him. 

Max tensed and shook his head. He thought he could do this, but now he wasn’t sure he could. The two of them had always talked about everything, they had no secrets, they loved each other, but Chris had broken up with him, without a word, just a text and an ‘I’m sorry’ as if it helped, as if it would lighten the blow of the man he thought he was going to spend at least the next 70 years with, dumping him. 

“What’d they say?” Max’s voice was tight, in a clear attempt to keep from crying. Chris didn’t bother, tears were streaming down his face. Max had never looked so tightly wound around him. Even when Max was angry with him, he never held his shoulders so square, his jaw was never clinched so tight, as if attempting to keep words from pouring out. And really, he probably was. “What did your parents say that made you break up with me without a fight? Did you fight? Did you try to convince them that I was worth something?” 

Max’s voice broke and the mix of a whine and a yelp jumped from his throat. Chris couldn’t bear it; he didn’t care if Max pushed him away, he had to touch him. He put himself into Max’s space, his hands moving up to his face, now wet with tears, moving his head so that he was looking in Chris’s eyes, so he could see that what Chris was about to say was the truth. 

“You are worth everything, Max Ragnor Lightwood-Bane. You are worth more than that, than this—” the lump in his throat grew as Max’s eyes flashed with pain and Max’s hand reached up and held Chris’s wrists gently. 

“Then why?” It was a whisper, barely a whisper, so soft that it felt more like a vibration coming out of Max’s mouth. 

“They—” Tears poured from Chris’s eyes as he kissed Max’s jaw gently. Max shut his eyes against the familiar touch. “They said if I didn’t that they would hire someone to remove my memories of you,” Chris admitted. Max’s eyes flew open, his blue eyes wide with surprise. He had to admit he wasn’t expecting that. “I couldn’t let that happen. I can live with a broken heart. I can live knowing I broke yours. But I cannot live with the thought that I would have forgotten that I was loved by you. To be loved by you, Max, even if just for a few years, is an honor that should go to someone far more deserving than me. But you picked me, at 6 years old, you picked a mop top ragamuffin to love. And it’s selfish, it’s so selfish, that I would rather suffer for the rest of my life and hurt you so badly, than forget that I was once good enough to be loved by Max Lightwood-Bane.” 

Max crashed their lips together, sobs coming out of both of their mouths as they kissed mournfully. Both knowing it didn’t change anything. But then—wait. Max was a Warlock.

“Wait,” Max separated them, Chris chasing the lips pleadingly. “I’m a Warlock. I’ll erase your parents’ memories, I’ll—” 

Chris silenced him with another kiss. “No, Baby, no. We can’t do that. That breaks the Accords. You’ll get in trouble,” Chris claimed. 

Max clawed at Max’s shirt in pain. “I don’t care! I don’t! I just need you, Chris, I can’t—” Max sobbed burying his face in Chris’s neck. “Can we stay together?” Max asked into his skin. Chris hummed quietly before Max pulled away a look of resignation and determination suddenly on his face. “I can be your—,” he paused, “Your affair,” he frowned at that word but nodded. It took Chris a moment to realize what Max was suggesting. 

“Oh god, Max, no! I could never—you are no one’s sidepiece. You are husband material. You are perfect and beautiful and you should not be anyone’s affair. No! Not in a million years, you are—” Chris shook his head but Max shushed him gently, tapping his lips with his index finger.

“I would rather be your ‘sidepiece’ than someone else’s husband,” Max stated. 

Chris’s heart broke all over again. How could he ask Max to make himself smaller for him? How could he ask him to be his SECRET when he should be up there in Warlock blue at their wedding. But that selfish part of him screamed for him to take it, to accept it, because it would better than not having Max at all. Better than having to watch from afar, see his boyfriend and not be able to touch, to kiss, knowing that Max would one day not love him. 

“Please.” 

That was the last straw that it took to break Chris, that final plea to make him agree to hide their relationship so he could continue to love Max. 

After letting out a sob, Chris nodded, kissing Max again, their lips hard and desperate as they attempted to keep each other there. Max’s head swam; he was an affair, he was just his boyfriend’s…boyfriend. Tears soaked his cheeks and his heart ached, but at least he had Chris, at least he could keep Chris a while longer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like the reaction I gave Malec. haha

“Magnus, please calm down,” Alec asked as he reached out for his husband who felt like a live wire. Upon hearing what was happening, what the three teenagers were going through, Magnus’s magic had broken four lamps, two vases, and all the windows in the loft. He had fixed them with a wave, only to break them all again seconds later as his heart broke for the three children. 

Alec touched his arm gently, and as always the calming energy of his Shadowhunter caused Magnus to let out a shaky breath, but the room didn’t feel as explosive. Rafael stood with his arms over his chest, still feeling whatever was happening with Chris and Max. 

“Why aren’t you furious? I would expect you to have already had those rats transferred to Uganda! Though you really shouldn’t put that kind of curse on Uganda and I—” Magnus ranted before Alec rubbed his sparking hands in his own, the magic snapping against Alec’s skin but leaving it unharmed. 

“We had to figure our shit out,” Alec said softly. “I had to make the choice to walk down the aisle at my wedding and choose you. We had to fight for each other—we still have to. It’s their turn. Chris has to make the choice to fight for Max, and nothing any of us can do can shift that responsibility.” 

Magnus scowled at him while Rafael looked at him blankly. “I hate how reasonable you are sometimes,” Magnus grumbled.

“Tell me about it. Try dealing with it at work every single day,” Rafael said with the first smile Alec had seen on his face since this began. 

Alec shrugged playfully with a smirk, “You guys are just lucky I guess.”

“Why you—” Magnus growled before tackling Alec onto the couch, causing the younger man to cry out in fake offense as he laughed softly. Alec pulled him up and kissed his face and lips several times affectionately as Magnus wrapped his arms around him with a sigh. 

“Does it ever get tiring,” Rafael asked watching his parents. They both looked at him confused. “Being so in love all the freaking time. Isn’t it exhausting?” 

“No,” they replied simultaneously, looking at each other with soft smiles.

Rafael groaned. “I don’t know if I want to find love if I’m going to be like this all the time. Or I mean look at what Chris and Max are going through, how is it—”

“It’s so worth it,” Max’s hoarse, broken voice hit them. Both boys looked exhausted, their eyes puffy and red, but their hands were intertwined securely. “You wanna go talk to Rafe?” Max asked softly into Chris’s ear, kissing Chris’s temple tenderly. Magnus and Alec looked at each other curiously; the two boys were being affectionate but it was clear neither one was happy. Chris didn’t move for a moment before nodding and stepping forward, his hand hanging behind him for a moment as if the thought of releasing Max’s was the worst thing imaginable. Even when they did drop, both of their hands clenched and flexed for their mates. 

Rafael moved forward to stand in front of Chris. The light that was always so bright in the red head’s eyes was gone, barely even a spark of anything remained. Rafael’s body cringed at the feeling of emptiness he felt when searching his Parabatai rune for answers. 

“Come on, amigo,” Rafael said gently as he tugged Chris’s shirt sleeve and led him to his room. Chris had yet to meet anyone’s eyes as he followed Rafael away. Once the bedroom door was closed, Magnus and Alec turned to Max. 

“Blue,” Magnus whispered. The pain that shone in his son’s eyes was never something Magnus thought he would have to see. At least not yet. Max and Chris were supposed to be solid. Even if Chris chose to stay mortal, Max would have a few decades of happiness. 

Max exhaled and suddenly lost his ability to stand, but his fathers ran to him just before he hit the floor. He moaned weakly and buried his face in the closest warm thing he could find, Magnus’s chest. They carefully helped him to the couch, sandwiching him on both sides, four arms wrapping around him as he shuttered and shook through the never ending waves of pain. 

“He’s getting married,” Max whispered. Every word harder to say than the last as he tried to breathe against the feeling in his chest that made it feel like his throat was closing. “And not to me.” That broke the dam and now the sobs were back. Heaving and ripping out of his throat as he gripped one of their shirts as tightly as he could, desperate to keep from drowning. 

Magnus and Alec had tears of their own trickling down their faces at their child’s pain. They knew it wasn’t just a teenage heartbreak. What Max and Chris had was as real as what Magnus and Alec had. 

“Please fix it, Daddy,” Max begged, his face contorted in agony. A sob came from Alec’s throat as every instinct in him told him to do what was ingrained in parents to do and ‘fix it’. 

“I don’t think I can, Blueberry. I think this is something Chris has to fix,” he admitted, kissing Max’s head and brushing his hair out of his face. Max whined and cried for a few more minutes until he had no energy left. Alec ran his hand up and down Max’s arm comfortingly, Max’s head on Magnus’s shoulder. 

“We’re going to stay together,” Max muttered quietly. He knew they would react badly, but he had to tell them, they had to understand. 

“What did you say, Sweetheart,” Magnus asked gently. Alec’s stomach sank as Max sat up, inhaling deeply, looking at a pulled thread on his shirt.

“We’re going to stay together, just…” Max inhaled deeply and both fathers got a terrible feeling about what he was about to say. “It’s going to be a secret,” he whispered. 

“A-a secret?” Alec asked. 

Max, his beautiful, passionate, mischievous teenager, was going to be someone secret? And not just someone’s—Chris’s?! How could Chris have ever agreed to that? No. Alec actually knew exactly how. He could imagine that getting to keep Max in any capacity had to be better than losing him all together. 

“I’m going to be his boyfriend. It’ll just be an affair,” Max cringed at the sentence even as he said it. He hated the thought that gone were the days of kissing Chris when they passed each other in the halls of the Institute, gone were the days of sneaking up behind each other and smacking butts, gone were the days of soft smiles and quiet happiness. They would now be stealing kisses in abandoned corners, making sure not to look at each other too long when they were in the same room, no more touching just for the hell of it. 

“You’re going to what?!” Magnus roared. Max exhaled heavily, his head in his hands. He knew that telling his fathers would be a terrible idea, but they had to know the situation. He didn’t tell them why Chris did it; he didn’t think it was really anyone’s business but theirs. Alec was standing back, his hand over his mouth as he considered his son’s words. 

“Pops, please, it’s not—” Max tried to explain but Magnus shook his head furiously.

“Max this is absurd! You are worth so much more than this! You are worth being loved fully, openly, and just because you love Chris doesn’t mean he will be your only love and—”

“I don’t want to love someone else!” Max yelled, tears in his eyes. It was his default now apparently. “I know you don’t understand Mr. 17,000 lovers but I am not ready for that! I am in love with one right now and I honestly thought I’d have him for many more years, if not eternity. Shit happened but I still loved him! If I can’t have him fully then I am going to at least let him love me when he can! Just because you had the pride to walk away from Dad doesn't mean I have enough to walk away from Chris!” Max shouted. Magnus blinked in surprise at those words, at that harshness. Alec shushed him softly, pulling him back into his arms, kissing his messy, long hair.

“Blueberry, we know you love him, and he loves you, but what you think you are okay with doing, I know it sounds easy but—”

“Nothing about this is going to be easy,” Max sobbed, curling into his father’s embrace. “But I don’t know what else to do,” he whimpered. 

“Not this,” Magnus bit. 

Alec frowned at him for a moment. “If some Warlock law suddenly said you had to marry someone else, I would still want to be with you. I would become your affair,” Alec admitted. Max sniffed as he pulled away slightly, blinking at his father in disbelief. Magnus’s eyes were wide and his magic flashed in his hand. Alec turned back to Max. “I get it kiddo, but I hate how much this is hurting you. I know it would hurt regardless, but it’ll be a different level. Having your heartbroken is never going to be fun. But if you let it break eventually it will heal, but if you keep seeing Chris…you’re going to be trapped in that heartbreak forever.” 

“Please let there be another way,” the three heard Chris cry from Rafael’s room. Max hadn’t been hurt that Rafael’s focus was on Chris and not on him. He knew Rafael could feel Chris’s hurt and was doing all he could to help his Parabatai. “No, no, no I’m coming, I promise! I’m on my way, I’ll be there in 10 minutes,” Chris’s voice went panicked and they realized he was talking on the phone. Chris came out of the bedroom seconds later, Rafael a step behind him. 

“Do-do you need a portal,” Max asked, standing up. Chris froze, looking at his boyfriend, tear tracks still on both of their faces. Chris nodded slowly. “Where to?” 

“My parents’ house,” he replied, his voice hoarse and cracking. Max nodded, and waved his hands. 

“Want me to come with you,” Rafael asked softly. Chris whimpered but shook his head, leaning into the body of his best friend that got closer to him. Rafael held him tightly and kissed his hair before releasing him and pushing him gently towards Max. Max ran into his arms, their lips finding each other easily. It was wet and salty from tears but they both knew it would be the last for a while. 

“I’m sorry! I’m so fucking sorry,” Chris whispered.

“Fight for me, Shadowhunter,” Max begged “Fight for us.” 

Chris pulled back, shaking his head, “You know why I can’t.” 

“No, I know why you won’t. I love you, Christopher.” Max whispered again, kissing his lips softly before pulling away and going to stand next between Alec and Magnus. Magnus wrapped his arms around Max, pushing his hair gently out of his face. 

Chris looked at his family, sadness, pain and disappointment in all of their eyes, “I love you all.” 

They all watched him walk into the portal until it closed behind him with a 'whoosh'.


	4. Chapter 4

Chris stepped out of the portal to see his mother and father standing with a girl around his age who honestly looked nearly as miserable as he did, though her eyes weren’t puffy and bloodshot like his were. His parents immediately scowled, but the girl looked concerned and sad. She had short brown hair and stark gray eyes. He supposed she was actually quite beautiful and that they would make an attractive couple, but he’d always wanted blue eyes to be what he was looking into when he said ‘I do’. 

“Christopher, this is Stella, your fiancée,” his mother stated and his stomach knotted at that word, at what it meant. He held out his hand, hoping his parents couldn’t tell that it was shaking. Stella took it, her hands were cold, in the opposite way that Max’s were always warm.

“Hello,” he said, unable to even attempt to force a smile. She didn’t attempt one either for which he was grateful. 

“We’re going to go and let you two get acquainted,” his father said, as he and Chris’s mother moved to leave. “And remember what we said Christopher,” Chris tried not to flinch and nodded quickly. As soon as they were out of the room, he dropped to the couch. 

“You look like you’ve never wanted to be anywhere less,” Stella said, sitting on the chair opposite him. 

Chris let out a hollow ‘Ha’. “Have you ever been in love with someone most of your life and then one day out of the blue your parents inform you to shatter that person’s and your own hearts so that you can marry a total stranger,” Chris asked. 

Stella blinked slowly in horror. Her parents hadn’t told her much about the Rothschilds. She knew they lived in New York City under Alec Lightwood-Bane whose reputation preceded him, even in Toronto.

“By the Angel, that is awful! Why would you agree?” 

She knew that was probably mean to ask, and she really had no right to know, but she was always a girl who spoke before she thought. 

Chris smiled sadly, looking at her and thinking that if circumstances were different, he would have liked her.

“They threatened me. They told me they’d take away my memories of the most wonderful person in my life.” Chris decided honesty was best with her. She didn’t deserve to think she’d get anything but a loveless arranged marriage.

“Tell me about this most wonderful person,” she requested. Chris looked at her skeptically, but she just smiled softly and said, “I’ve never been in love, and it looks like I never will be. So how about you tell me what it’s like?” 

**************

The Lightwood-Banes stood staring at where the portal had closed, all four of them in disbelief that all of that had really just happened. 

“I’m going to go,” Max began waving his hand and opening another portal, “somewhere that is not here.” 

“Max wait,” Rafael reached out, grabbing Max’s wrist. “I’m so sorry. I’m not siding with him, it’s just he’s my Para—”

Max smiled softly and shook his head. “There are no sides to be taken. This situation sucks for all of us, even Dad and Pops. And he’s your Parabatai; you can feel his pain.” Max really did get it, he knew how close Chris and Rafael were, how they fought as one, how they hurt as one. He could never blame Rafael for comforting Chris; they both needed it. 

“And you are my brother, and I see yours,” Rafael claimed, wiping Max’s cheeks gently. Max let out a broken exhale of gratitude at his brother’s acknowledgement. “You are both my family, the two most important people in my life. l I could no sooner pick between you two than pick between Dad and Pops,” he claimed. 

“You don’t have to choose, Rafie. I would never ask you to do that, even if the situation called for it.” He paused, looking at the still open portal. “Wanna come with me?” Rafael smiled and nodded. “Hey Dad, we’re gonna need coverage at work for a while,” Max said with a cheeky smirk. It was the most like Max he’s looked all day. 

“I’ll figure it out. Just text us please, keep us updated to when you’ll be back,” Alec called as they walked into the portal. He sighed heavily as the portal ‘whooshed’ close and turned to his husband. “Shall we go have a word with Brant and Jennifer Rothschild?” 

Magnus raised his eyebrows in surprise, “I thought we weren’t getting involved,” he said knowingly. Alec grunted and put his head on Mangus’s collarbone.

“Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t get pleasure out of seeing you turn them into a couple of bugs I could squish,” he grumbled. Magnus laughed lightly at Alec’s adorableness, even during such a rough time. There was something he wanted to talk to Alec about, though. His mind kept going back to what Alec had said to him when he was defending Max: ‘I would become your affair.’ He couldn’t imagine how such proud, brave, intelligent, beautiful, determined, stubborn men as Alec and Max could so easily agree to be less important in their partners’ lives. Even if Alec’s was hypothetical, he hadn’t hesitated; he had said it very matter of fact and it honestly bothered Magnus a little.

“Darling, can I ask you something,” he started, kissing Alec’s head softly before pushing him gently back so he could see his face. 

Alec blinked up at him, his eyes still full of hurt for the boys, but they were still open and shining with love as they looked at Magnus. It still took Magnus’s breath away sometimes to see how much love Alec held for him. 

“You said if I had to marry someone else, you’d be my affair. How could you say that? Why would you devalue yourself like that?” 

Alec looked at him, searching his face and eyes for something before finally finding it. “Because…because only getting you in stolen moments and dark corners is better than not getting you at all,” Alec stated, brushing his fingers around Magnus’s cheek and jaw. “You are worth the pain of that, Mags. I’m so lucky that I got my head out of my ass, and I hope Chris does the same, but you are worth everything. I would go through anything for just seconds with you. Forever isn’t enough to spend all the time with you I want, but if I had to choose between some of you and none of you, it would be the easiest choice I’d make.” 

Magnus’s eyes flashed with astonishment and love. So many people in his life telling him he wasn’t worth anything, not worth their time, not worth growing old with, certainly not forever with. Then this man, this Shadowhunter, appeared in his club and changed his life. Found him worthy of not just a night, not just a couple years, but eternity, and with these words, eternity, however he could have it.

“Alexander,” Magnus whispered and joined their lips hard and deep, open mouthed and breathing and taking in as much of his husband as he could. He wished every day that Rafael could find someone like this, who loved so completely and whom he could love in return this much. His heart ached at the thought that he’d thought Max had found it. Now he would only wish that Chris could make the same brave, defiant choice Alec had made all those years ago. 

*********************

Jennifer wasn’t sure what she expected when she approached her office where her son and future daughter-in-law had been, but it hadn’t been uproarious laughter from Stella and a soft chuckle from Chris. She’d expected tears and anger from Chris and indifference from Stella. She hadn’t expected the two to like each other. She wasn’t particularly proud of what she and Brant had done. In all honesty, she had been against it. She saw how that Warlock looked at her son and it was more than she had ever hoped for, for any Shadowhunter. But Brant was right: the Rothschild name should be carried on by blood, not just through adoption. Though Rafael Lightwood-Bane would be Head of the Institute by just as much right as Alec had. She wondered if Chris had told the Lightwoods about- the Lightwood-Banes about what they’d done. It made her stomach twist; they had threatened their child, not just that, they’d threatened him in a horrific way. If Chris ever forgave her, she wasn’t sure she could find it to forgive herself. 

“Nice to see you two getting along,” she said as she entered the room. The joy left the room as she came into it. Chris’s face fell and Stella’s expression changed from a calm enjoyment to polite indifference. 

“Don’t have much of a choice, do we,” Chris grumbled. Jennifer sighed, she didn’t know how to explain this to him, that she wished there was another way. 

“I must admit I’m surprised that Alec and Magnus haven’t come here to turn your father and me into couches or a toilet or something,” Jennifer claimed. Stella’s jaw clenched and she had to keep herself from scowling while Chris rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Max wouldn’t want them to, and, unlike some parents, Magnus and Alec respect their children’s feelings,” he bit. There was the anger she’d expected. 

“I can still call the Warlock if—” Jennifer began, feeling guilty even as the words left her mouth. The Warlock’s memory spell shouldn’t be a tool to use against her child. 

“No!” Chris said quickly, deflating and making himself smaller in a way Jennifer had never seen before and hated immediately. 

“Mrs. Rothschild,” Stella said with a tone that sounded like she was trying to suppress her hatred, “is there any way Chris could take me to the Institute here? I’d very much like to get familiarized with it since I’ll be transferred there.” 

Jennifer pressed her lips together and nodded sharply. Stella turned back to Chris and offered him her hand, which he took hesitantly and stood. He didn’t meet his mother’s eyes as he followed Stella out of the office. Jennifer wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Stella seemed to very much be on Chris’s side in the situation. It could lead to Chris being more willing to marry her or it could lead to them rebelling together. Jennifer would have to keep an eye on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me! haha I should have the next chapter up tomorrow!!


	5. Chapter 5

It would be another week before Rafael walked back into the Institute. Max stayed in Portugal, and as Rafael took in the scene in front of him, he’d never been happier that his brother was not by his side. Chris was laughing and pointing to something on the monitor and the girl standing beside him, who Rafael knew had to be his fiancée, was giggling along with him. Rafael’s heart pounded harder and he scowled deeply as the portal closed behind him. He knew Chris still wasn’t happy, but he certainly didn’t seem to be trying to change the situation. He’d told Rafael what his parents had threatened him with, but he didn’t have to like the woman. He approached the couple, frowning at his Parabatai.

“So nice to see you two getting along so well. Your boyfriend is still miserable,” he bit, glaring at Stella with a look that could have frozen fire. “Have either of you seen my dad?” 

Chris looked at Rafael, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open slightly.

“He’s training,” Stella said softly. Rafael narrowed his eyes before heading in that direction. 

“Rafe, wait!” Chris called when he’d barely taken 5 steps. 

“I’ve been gone a week, Chris. I have things to catch up on,” Rafael said dismissively, but a hand grabbed his arm, stopping him. Chris’s eyes were pleading and desperate, but Rafael couldn’t bring himself to have sympathy when he had listened to his brother cry himself to sleep every night for 7 days. Rafael had only come back to work because Max had insisted that he go check on Chris, and he didn’t want Rafael to miss so much work. It had all been about other people; Max hadn’t once told Rafael he didn’t want him there. Max had to shove him playfully, while laughing and telling him he wasn’t going to do anything crazy and he could be left alone, in order to really convince Rafael. Plus, Rafael had forced him to promise to text him every hour to make sure he was safe. 

“Rafe, please, it’s—she knows everything. She knows about Max. She’s being forced into this just as much as I am,” Chris claimed rapidly. Stella had the good sense to stay back, and she watched the two from where Chris had left her. 

“Oh, did she leave a boyfriend heartbroken and willing to be her fuck toy, too? Cuz if not, I really don’t—” 

“He will not be my fuck toy, you asshole,” Chris snarled, all softness leaving his face. “I love him! You know how much I love him. I am making the best I can of this situation. And I understand why you’re mad at me- I would be angry with me too-but I love your brother with everything in me and I will not let anyone, even you, pretend that he will ever be anything less to me than the love of my life!” 

“Then fucking act like it,” Rafael bit back. He’d been worried about Chris the whole week. He could feel his pain, which hadn’t faded in the slightest but had really only been made worse by the distance. Still, Rafael wouldn’t bear to see Chris with this girl with whom he would play house.

“What am I supposed to do, Rafael? Treat her like shit? Hate her? Is that what you would do?” Chris asked, still angry, but the hurt making his lower lip tremble. 

“No! You should send her back to whatever Institute she came from and tell your parents to go fuck themselves and marry my brother,” Rafael replied. Chris blinked rapidly, tears appearing in the corners of his eyes. He’d dreamed of marrying Max for years, even when they weren’t dating and even though they were really too young. He and Max had talked about not wanting children, neither of them really having that desire while jokingly teasing about Rafael having wanted to be a father himself since he was 8. Max was going to wear a navy suit with a gold tie and Chris was going to wear a gold suit with a navy tie. They were going to put Rafael and Avery in silver. 

When Chris was silent, Rafael spun away and headed to the training area. Alec was letting loose on a punching dummy and Rafael smirked. 

“Whoa, what’d he do to you? He insult Papa?” 

Alec looked up with a grin, relief filling his eyes at the sight of his son. “Nah, he beat up Jace, so I had to avenge him. Papa can take care of himself.” Rafael laughed and accepted the sweaty hug that his father gave before Alec pulled away. “Oh sorry, I’m gross.” 

“Don’t worry. Max and I went hiking earlier today, so I’m sure I don’t smell like a bushel of roses either,” Rafael said smiling lightly. 

Alec’s face fell and his eyebrows furrowed in concern, “How’s he doing?” 

“Not as well as Chris,” Rafael said through his teeth before shrugging, “But about as well as can be expected.” 

“Rafe,” Alec sighed, suspecting that Rafael had seen Chris with Stella. It had been hard for Alec in the beginning but then he’d seen Stella holding Chris as he cried standing outside of the training area where Chris had usually been able to find Max. He’d known then that Stella was just trying to support Chris in this horrible situation. “He’s been lost since you guys left. And I’m not blaming either of you, but he’s been struggling and she was there. She’s been very understanding and supportive. She is also an archer that could give us both a run for our money.” 

Rafael scoffed. “Now I hate her more,” he grumbled, but Alec just smiled softly. 

“My protective hijo,” he said with pride. “She really doesn’t want to be a part of their pain. She was scared shitless of me when she first got here, but she’s keeping Chris away from Jennifer and Brant as much as she can. She’s on our side; you should give her a chance. You might even make a friend,” Alec said with a nudge. 

Rafael sighed. So maybe he’d overreacted a little. But it had been hard see his playful, fun brother being so solemn. That was his role; he was the grouchy, silent, sullen one, and Max was the goofball. Max hadn’t even tried to pretend he was okay, which did make it easier on Rafael, but, also, he just wanted his brother to be okay. Pair that with feeling the constant throb and loneliness radiating from his Parabatai rune, and it had been a pretty shitty week for Rafael. He didn’t know how to make his brother feel better without making Chris do something about it, but he couldn’t make Chris do something about it because he understood how scared he was of his parents. It felt like there was no winning. 

“I’ll go talk to them, but I’m not going to like her,” Rafael said determinedly. Alec nodded in a way that felt vaguely patronizing, but Rafael let it go and headed back to where he’d left Chris. Chris had his head in his hands, his elbows propped on a table. Stella was leaning against the table talking gently to him. 

“-little brother, it’s completely understandable. He’ll come around and if he doesn’t…” Stella tried to comfort Chris. 

“If he doesn’t then I get to spend the rest of my life with the two most important people in the world to me hating my guts. Great.” 

“You are the most dramatic person I know, and my father is Magnus Lightwood-Bane,” Rafael said, rolling his eyes. Chris looked up at him like a scolded puppy. Stella looked like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to fuss at Rafael or run away. 

“Hi, I’m Rafael,” Rafael said, holding out his hand to Stella who looked at it, narrowing her eyes and huffing before taking it. “The overprotective Parabatai,” he finished as they shook hands. 

“I’m Stella, the thieving fiancée,” Stella said. Rafael hummed and released her hand, looking at Chris who still looked brokenhearted. 

“So I overreacted,” Rafael said causing Chris to let out a short chuckle and breathing a sigh of relief. He looked like he’d aged 10 years since Rafael last saw him and his heart twinged at having not seen it before. “Oh Chris,” he whispered. Chris let out whimper and threw himself against Rafael who hugged him as tightly as he could. He wondered if Chris had slept any more than Max; it certainly didn’t seem like it. 

“Where is he?” Chris asked into Rafael’s shoulder. Chris ached to see Max in a way he hadn’t ached for anything. Even though he knew it would be hard as hell to see him, he felt like every day he went without seeing those blue eyes, his soul died a little more. He knew what he’d done would destroy Max, and he knew he didn’t deserve to see him ever again. Rafael shouldn’t be holding him together; Alec shouldn’t be making sure he was eating and taking care of himself; Magnus shouldn’t be coming to the Institute and making sure Stella had everything she needed. They should all hate him, but they didn’t. He was more loved by the Lightwood-Bane men than he could have possibly imagined or earned.

“Portugal,” Rafael answered. “Or at least he was when I left him.” 

Chris was shaking; it almost felt like he’d gotten worse since they left last week. Oh. Of course he had. He didn’t have the two people he’d counted on to always be there. It had been the three of them since Chris was 7, and now, all of a sudden, Rafael and Max were gone in a moment that was so painful to Chris. Rafael wished he could bring himself to feel like he’d done wrong. He hated how much Chris was suffering, but his brother was…his brother. No, he couldn’t choose between Chris and Max, not really, but in that moment, his brother needed him just a little more. Chris made a sound of acknowledgement and Rafael pulled away slightly to look at Chris’s face. There were dark circles under his eyes and his skin was blotchy, his eyes looked dull and lifeless, and his hair was loose and unstyled. He didn’t look like the same person. 

“When was the last time you ate?” 

Rafael could feel Chris was slightly thinner; it wasn’t drastic, but it was noticeable to Rafael. Stella let out a soft chuckle and Chris smiled as he turned to her before looking back at Rafael.

“You sound like your dad,” Stella said amused.

Thanks,” Rafael said with a smirk before looking back at Chris who rolled his eyes but kept the smile on his face. 

“This morning. A protein shake, it was all I could handle,” Chris admitted quietly. 

Rafael sighed, kissing his forehead and pulling him back into a hug. Chris was the type of person who couldn’t eat when he felt any kind of intense emotion, whether good or bad, so Rafael knew a protein shake was a good thing. 

“I can make you some enchiladas, pulled pork, your favorite,” Rafael offered in a sing song tone, trying to bring Chris up a little. Chris pulled back and looked at Stella uncertainly, but Rafael smirked and shook his head. “The fiancée can come too,” he claimed. 

Stella looked surprised, but smiled. She knew how important Rafael was to Chris. For the past week she’d heard everything about the Lightwood-Bane boys, and a little about Alec and Magnus as well. She knew Chris viewed them as more of his family than his parents and that hurting them had wrecked Chris. 

“Where are you going to get all the stuff for enchiladas right now,” Chris asked. 

“Max sent all of it to the loft when he sent me home,” Rafael admitted gently. Tears filled Chris’s eyes. His boyfriend had the kindest soul of anyone Chris could ever imagine. “What do you say? Wouldn’t want it to go to waste,” Rafael urged. Chris nodded and pulled away from Rafael fully and wiped his face. 

“Okay, but I have to tell Alec—” Chris began, but then Stella’s phone dinged and she chuckled, holding out her phone to Chris and Rafael. 

“I think he knows,” she stated. 

‘Tell them to save me some!’ the text read. 

Rafael grinned and pulled out his stele opening a portal. He stepped back and offered Stella to enter first, she looked uncertain; maybe Rafael was just pretending to be nice and was sending her to the middle of a volcano. Based on his fathers, she didn’t see that as a likely option, though she’d heard that his brother could be really petty. 

She stepped through into a stunning apartment to find the High Warlock of Brooklyn looking hopefully at her. His face fell when he saw who it was, but she didn’t take it personally,

“Oh, sorry dear, I thought you might be Max and- Rafe!” he cried happily when Chris and Rafael walked out of the portal shortly after. He pulled Rafael into a tight hug, kissing his hair several times until Rafael let out an embarrassed groan, but he was grinning so Magnus knew it was all a show. “Oh I saw the ingredients for enchiladas in the fridge and was hoping it meant you guys were coming home and—” Magnus frowned sadly when he realized the portal closed and Max wasn’t with them. “Blue isn’t back,” he said softly. 

Rafael shook his head. “No, not quite ready yet,” Rafael admitted. Magnus sighed and nodded in understanding before looking at Chris and Stella.

“Hello, darlings, my apologizes. That was rude not to greet either of you,” he smiled warmly and Chris was still taken aback at how kind this family was being to him. It was getting ridiculous. Chris and Stella returned the greeting and after a look from Rafael they both stayed in the living room while Rafael and Magnus went into the kitchen to get cooking. 

“How is he?” Magnus asked, realizing the other two weren’t behind them. Rafael opened the refrigerator, sighed heavily as he pulled out what he would be needing.

“Not good, thank the Angel he knows Chris still loves him, because it could have been much worse,” Rafael claimed putting the skillet on the stove. “I don’t know when he’s coming home though, I thought he was coming with me but then right at the last minute he couldn’t.” Rafael’s eyes reflected the sadness he held for his little brother. Magnus pulled him away from the stove and wrapped his arms around their older son’s shoulders. “I couldn’t fix it, Papa,” he murmured into his father’s shoulder as he held him close. “Aren’t big brother’s supposed to not let bad things happen to their little brother’s?” Magnus flashed back to Alec looking so despondent when his baby brother was hurt by Sebastian. Luckily that had turned out fine, and this would too… it had to. 

“Your job as a big brother is to love him, and be there when he needs you to be,” he pulled away to look at Rafael in the eyes. Rafael looked so tired, tired so deep in his soul that in that moment he reminded Magnus more of Magnus than he did Alec. The weight of hundreds of years seemed to weight on the barely 19 year old. “You did exactly what you were supposed to do, you were there,” Magnus forced him to raise his chin. Rafael blinked slowly, giving a half smile before letting it fall and leaning into Magnus’s touch. Magnus’s heart broke a little more. This wasn’t just affecting Chris and Max, it was also breaking Rafael as well. After a kiss from Magnus on his temple, Rafael took a deep breath and Magnus watched him put himself back together piece by piece, square his shoulders, correct his posture, swallow the emotion in his throat and put the pain in his eyes away. 

“Chris, get in here, this is your dinner and you’re sitting in there doing nothing like a lazy couch potato man,” Rafael called. Magnus smirked but he knew that coping mechanism, pretend everything is fine until you wake up in a cold sweat, or don’t fall asleep at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor baby Rafa! 


	6. Chapter 6

It was in the middle of sparring. Another week had past and it was the day before the wedding when suddenly Chris dropped his sword and Rafael nearly decapitated him with no block. 

“What the fuck, Chris, I could have—” 

Chris was staring past him like he was looking at a ghost, and he was as pale as one, tears filling his eyes, but for the first time, his eyes were flickering with-something. Rafael turned to find Max looking back at Chris, his face trying to remain indifferent, but his eyes filled with so many different emotions. Pain, relief, loneliness, grief, familiarity. His hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and he was still glamoured, his skin the same tone as Alec’s, something the Warlock had done since he was a kid. His hair was still navy blue and his eyes were still that bright blue they always were. He was stunning. 

Stella walked around the corner and saw her fiancé staring at the strange man and she knew exactly who he was. Max turned to her before looking back and meeting Rafael’s eyes. He nodded. Max turned to her and held out his hand.

“Hello,” he greeted, “I’m—”

“Max,” Chris said softly. Max didn’t look at him, looking down and squeezing his eyes shut for a moment before looking back at Stella. 

“Yeah, that,” he said. Stella took his hand politely.

“Hello, I’m Stella,” she replied. Max smiled softly, nodding before exhaling and shook her hand. 

“Hey, bro, nice tan,” Rafael teased, coming down from the training platform where Chris still stood motionless. 

Max rolled his eyes, smirking as he let go of Stella’s hand. “We can’t all have naturally caramel skin, can we?”

“Nope, but yours is a little too pale, huh?” Rafael realized Max had forgotten he was still glamoured. He also kept his skin and horns glamoured when he travelled, just to be safe. Max looked at the back of his hand confused before chuckling lightly upon catching on. 

“Yeah, not quite the right shade, is it,” Max joked before snapping his fingers and turning royal blue and two horns appeared on his forehead. “Much better,” he said. 

“Oh are you a sight for sore eyes!” Max whipped his head around just in time to throw his arms around Alec’s neck. “It’s so good to have you home, Blue,” Alec murmured.

“It’s good to be home, Dad,” Max whispered, his voice thick with emotion that only being around either of his fathers could pull out of him. “Papa!” He felt Magnus’s magic just before a second set of arms wrapped around him from behind and he let out a shaky breath. “I missed you guys,” he said. He hadn’t left for 2 weeks before; he’d texted them every day but it wasn’t the same. 

“We missed you too, Maxie,” Magnus muttered.

“Max,” Chris’s voice said, finally next to him. Max turned to him, blinking before looking at his family, his eyes asking.

“We’ll see you later,” Alec responded, kissing Max’s head before taking Magnus’s hand. Magnus hugged Max with his free arm once more before following Alec, playfully pinching his husband’s ass. Alec cried out and turned with a scolding expression before smirking and kissing Magnus deeply. 

“Some things never change,” Max said, amused. 

“You want me to stay or go,” Rafael asked, looking at both Max and Chris.

Max inhaled sharply before shaking his head. “You’ve got better things to do than making sure I don’t have some kind of breakdown,” he stated with a grateful smile. Rafael wanted to correct him, but he also knew it was Max’s gentle way of saying ‘get lost’. 

“All right. Call me if you need me, though,” Rafael offered, nudging Chris too so he knew he was included in that. Chris nodded, swallowing hard. “Come on, Stella. I’ll teach you that bow trick I showed you,” Stella nodded and let Rafael lead her away. 

There was a silence that neither Max nor Chris could ever remember being between them. 

“Two weeks?” Chris croaked after a couple minutes of awkward quiet. Max looked thinner than Chris remembered; the boy had always been lean so even a couple pounds of weight loss showed. 

Max shrugged, “I almost came back with Rafael, but…” he inhaled, closing his eyes. “Couldn’t quite bring myself to do it. I’m only back now because the wed—” 

A lump in his throat cut him off and Chris moved to touch him but quickly pulled away, unsure if he was allowed. Max didn’t move in either way, neither to touch him or move away, so they just stood in their limbo. Chris stared at him. Those sharp cheekbones, that perfect jaw line, it was like looking at a drawing, like it wasn’t possible that something so flawless was real. His hair was pulled back but there were a few stray pieces falling around his face. Usually Chris would reach out and tuck them back where they belonged, but he didn’t have that right anymore. It ached more than Chris remembered, the pain of being so close to Max but not touching him. 

“I still don’t know if I’m ready, but I just needed to be here when it happened. I don’t know why. Maybe some masochistic part of me needed to be here for it to be real,” Max said softly. Upon seeing Chris’s mildly horrified expression Max let out a sad chuckle, shaking his head. “Oh, no, I won’t be at the actual wedding. I’ll be hiding somewhere in the Institute. I would never do that to you, I just…I couldn’t be alone in some far off place knowing you were marrying someone else.” Tears filled Chris’s eyes and suddenly there was a hand on his face, a warm hand, gently wiped away the wetness that managed to escape. Chris turned his face and kissed Max’s hand and it felt like magic. “I want you to kiss me,” Max whispered. Chris moved forward but another hand on his chest stopped him, “But I won’t be able to bear it when you stop.” 

Chris let out a broken sigh and stepped away. He could see that Max had so desperately wanted him to give in, to kiss him and never get go. So did he, but he couldn’t. 

“I’ve missed you so much,” Chris whispered. 

The desire simply to hold Max, to make sure he was real was almost overwhelming. He hadn’t realized how much Max was ingrained in every moment of every day of his life. From the first ‘good morning’ texts every morning to the ‘sweet dreams’ texts every night. From the fact that he was in the Institute almost every day, and when he wasn’t, he would portal Chris to the loft so they would talk, to the notes Max would leave around where he knew only Chris would find them. From finding Max’s hair ties all over his room, to the water bottles that would suddenly appear in front of him. Max’s touch was on every aspect of Chris’s life, and these past two weeks had just been a painful reminder of what he was choosing to give up. Giving up the texts and the notes and the hair ties and the water bottles, all to keep the memories that they’d once been there. 

“I missed you too,” Max whispered. Chris let out a sigh, he knew he shouldn’t have feared that Max would not have missed him, but he’d destroyed their relationship, Max had every right to not ever speak to him again, to hate him, to convince Rafael to hate him. “Do-Do you know who the Warlock is that your parents hired?” Max asked quietly. Chris looked at him, tilting his head in confusion. Max shrugged, “I just figure maybe if I knew who it was I could go talk to them or-“ Chris reached out and grabbed Max’s hands, Max shuttered, as if the skin on skin contact was physically painful. 

“This isn’t your battle, it’s mine,” Chris claimed. Max looked at him, tears trailing down his cheeks. “I haven’t asked who it is, I’m not sure I want to know who would willing do that to a person.” Max could understand that, but the need to know who was being held over his lover’s head was almost more than Max could stand. “I know you want me to go fight my parents, tell them to fuck off that I will love who I want, marry who I want, but I need you to understand-“ 

Max’s hand flew up to his mouth, shushing him with an index finger to the lips. “I actually understand more than you think. You don’t think I’ve considered how I would react if Dad and Pops told me I had to marry a Warlock girl. I’d be livid, I’d scream and fight, but they’re my parents. I would be so hurt and not talk to them for decades, but they’re Alec and Magnus, and they love me, your parents love you, they’re just… they were raised a certain way and I very seriously doubt married each other for love, not like real love, not what we have.” Max traced a finger on Chris’s cheek, Chris closed his eyes against the touch and couldn’t stand it. Max was comforting HIM, making him feel like he didn’t have a choice, he did! He was just choosing wrong. 

“Max,” Chris breathed before lunging and kissing Max deeply. Almost as if on instinct Max melted into the kiss, his mouth falling open, his arms wrapping around Chris’s waist as the muscular Shadowhunter’s went around his neck, pulling him in deeper. They kissed like nothing had happened between them, as if they were just kissing after Max had been gone a couple days and they were glad to see each other again. But then it all came back and Max whimpered and pulled away, panting not in desire, but in pain. Chris let out a sob, 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said, his hands moving to touch Max again, but his brain telling them that was a terrible idea. Max shut his eyes and took a further step back and Chris flinched but didn’t move. 

“Um, I-I have to-I have to go,” Max whispered. “I’ll see you la-I’ll- bye.” Max ran off quickly, keeping the sobs in until he was far enough away before throwing himself against the wall, sobs choking out of his throats. His ears were ringing and he couldn’t hear anything or feel anything but the pain of his broken heart. It wasn’t until arms wrapped around him that he realized someone had been trying to get his attention. His eyes were too blurred with tears to see the person but he knew those arms and gripped the shirt under his hands tightly. 

“If he doesn’t figure this out, Blueberry, he’s an idiot,” Magnus whispered, rubbing Max’s back, kissing his hair. 

“He has to, I can’t-“ Max stuttered. Magnus shushed him gently and hugged him tighter. “I need him, Papa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter you'll see what choice Chris makes.


	7. Chapter 7

It was the day of the wedding and four people felt nauseous. Two of them were getting married and the other two were letting it happen. There was part of Rafael that felt he should be the one to stop this, half of him felt that way, actually, but the other half had to stand next to Chris; it didn’t mean neither half had to like it.

Chris was fidgeting as he adjusted his gold jacket. This was supposed to be the best day of his life. He was supposed to be freaking out and sending Rafael to make sure Max wasn’t getting cold feet. Rafael was supposed to find Max cool as a cucumber, laughing with Vanya and Cole about the ball and chain he was about to latch onto himself, and Rafael would stay with them until he felt Chris’s anxiety and goes back and tells him Max couldn’t wait to marry him. Instead, Chris was close to vomiting and Rafael was wincing at the pain that was radiating from his Parabatai rune and Max was hiding somewhere in the Institute as if he were an unworthy secret. 

“Chris,” Rafael whined softly, feeling his best friend’s heart break more as every second ticked by.

“I know. I’m sorry. This is just all so fucked up,” Chris admitted, taking his jacket off and throwing it on the back of the chair. 

“Then why haven’t you stopped it?” 

A voice came from the doorway causes them both to snap their heads up. Stella stood there, not in a wedding dress, but in jeans and a black tee shirt, her hair and makeup still wedding ready.

“Stella? Wh-what are you doing here? The gro-groom is not supposed to see the b-bride before the ceremony,” Chris stuttered, defeated. Stella rolled her eyes before entering the room. 

“You aren’t my groom, Chris,” she said gently.

Chris looked at her panicked, “No! If we don’t—”

“If you do this, you will be ruining four people’s lives,” Stella interrupted, taking Chris’s clammy hand in her soft, cool one.

“Four?” Chris asked, knowing she was right and feeling guilty for going along with all of it.

“Besides you, me, and Max, you’re also taking me away from someone who would have loved me the way I deserve. You are loved so much by that man. I was okay with all of this until I saw how he looks at you, and how you look at him, and I realized I never ever dreamed that for myself and here you are WILLINGLY throwing it away! For what? Cuz your asshole parents threatened you?” 

Her hair was bouncing in her frantic desire to make him understand, her cheeks flush and her eyes pleading. 

“And I get it, you couldn’t bear the thought of forgetting Max, but your boyfriend’s father is the High Warlock of Brooklyn and his other father is the Head of the Institute that brought down Valentine, so maybe no one would be stupid enough to even try anything. You are smart, Christopher. Act like it!” 

She scolded her would-be husband, even as she held his hand and patted it comfortingly. 

“I deserve to get to fall in love. You deserve to walk down the aisle to someone who is so excited to marry you that they can’t stop smiling. And Max—Max deserves someone who will fight for him and with him against anything that would attempt to hurt him.” 

Chris looked at his hands. Max deserved better than him. Stella grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up at her.

“Be that man, Chris. Change out of this suit and go be the man Max deserves,” she finally finished with a smile of encouragement.

Chris stood, looking back and forth between Rafael and Stella. Rafe was able to read the question in his eyes and answered him before he asked.

“He’s in the training room,” Rafael reported.

Chris gulped before looking down at himself, then asked Stella, confused, “Why do I need to change?”

“Because- Because the groom shouldn’t see the groom in his wedding suit before he’s walking down the aisle,” Rafael said grinning, the pain throbbing from his rune was finally dissipating.

“No, there’s no time, I—” Chris froze as he headed for the door. “Wait. What if he doesn’t want me back?” He wouldn’t blame Max for being hurt and angry and never wanting to see him again, it was justif-

“If you don’t get your ass out of here, I am going to—” Rafael threatened with a jovial smile. 

“Right!” Chris shook his head to clear it. “Going! Right! Training room!” He ran out the door, looking frantically in both directions as if he didn’t know where the training room was then made a left, breaking into a run in the right direction. 

“You know…that was kind of hot,” Rafael flirted, turning to Stella. “You being strict and all that,” he purred. 

Stella smirked and raised one eyebrow. “You clearly need someone being strict with you, Rafael, since it should have been you talking Chris out of making that stupid mistake,” she chastised playfully. 

“I was getting to it!” 

“Oh I’m sure,” Stella teased but both of their faces were soft and light. 

“Would you let me buy you a coffee to make up for it,” he asked. Stella nodded with a grin, and Rafael pressed his lips together nervously before his own grin widened.

“But...first I have to go tell everyone the wedding is off,” she groaned and stood. “Your Parabatai is exhausting,” the brunette claimed with a wink. 

“Tell me about it,” Rafael rolled his eyes, but enjoyed the hum of relief from his Parabatai’s rune. “I’ll come with you. I wanna see Brant and Jennifer’s faces when they find out,” he said with a grin.

“Yeah they really aren’t nice people. And what I don’t understand is how they can support Chris with Max all their life and then attempt to destroy that over something as STUPID as biological grandchildren. I’ll be glad to be rid of them honestly,” Stella hissed as they headed out the door. 

“Oh, so you’re going back to Toronto then?” Rafael tried not to sound disappointed but he knew he’d failed when she smiling coyly at him. He’d grown to like her much more than he’d ever expected to considering the circumstances. And now that she was back on the market, he’d kind of hoped to make his move, but if she was leaving…

“You know, I do really like it here, wedding or not. I think, if your father would have me, I’m gonna stick around for a while,” Stella reported, nudging Rafael’s shoulder as he lit up. “You gonna be okay with be kicking your ass at archery every day?”

“HA! You beat me once and that was a fluke. I’ve beat you 5 other times,” Rafael cried as he followed her towards the ceremony room. 

“Did you? Or did I just let you beat me?” Stella asked, her lips curved up in mischief. 

“No! You didn’t because I let Chris win sometimes, I know what letting someone win looks like and that was not it!” 

Stella laughed in response. Had her laugh always been that beautiful?

“I imagine it must be really hard to make Chris look better than you,” Stella chuckled. 

“Oh, believe me, it is! Now, Max is actually really good, he just doesn’t like to get violent. But he can kick ass with or without magic when he wants to,” Rafael bragged. 

Stella smiled. She had to admit that one of her favorite things about Rafael is how much he adored his little brother. She didn’t like how she was brought into their lives, but she had the feeling she and the Lightwood-Bane boys were going to get along just fine from here on out. 

Max hit the target again, directly in the center of the bull’s eye before spinning around and shooting again. This one landed in the bull’s eye, but slightly off center. He scoffed and fired off another one, this one hitting where he wanted. He sighed and pulled out another arrow, pretended as he had all day, and knowing no one was fooled, that his mind wasn’t locked on what was happening in the ceremony room. He huffed in annoyance as he felt the now nearly constant burn of tears in the back of his eyes. He knew he could have gone home and that there was something sick and twisted about staying at the Institute while this was happening, but for some reason, he had to be there. He was glad to be alone, but also knew it was only the case because everyone else was watching his boyfriend marry someone else.

“Uuhhhgg!” Max groaned and sent the arrow flying. It hit the punching dummy straight in the heart. He let out a hollow laugh. “Appropriate,” he muttered before walking towards it to take it out. He froze when Chris came running around the corner, panting and flushed. He was still in his gold tux. He looked so handsome in it; it took Max’s breath away, even now. Max had dreamed about what Chris would look like with gold against his skin and reality was even better. Or worse, considering the circumstance. But, wait, Max looked at the clock. Stella should be reaching the top of the aisle right now. 

“You’re supposed to be getting married right now,” Max said softly. Chris approached him before turning and seeing the arrow sticking out of the dummy. He carefully removed it and held it out to Max when he reached him, who took it hesitantly.

“I’ll never be getting married to anyone that is not you. If you’ll let me, I’d like to fix what I did to your heart, too,” Chris said still breathing slightly hard. Max studied Chris for a moment, his eyes were blood shot from crying and wide with pleas of understanding and forgiveness. They were sad; they had been since all this began, as had Max’s. His hair was carefully tamed from what it usually was. “I’m not going to marry Stella, Max. I made a bad choice, the very wrong choice, and I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I will spend every day for the rest of eternity making it up to you, if you’ll have me.” 

Max reached out his hand and Chris froze, causing the Warlock to roll his eyes and ruffle Chris’s hair, making it the wavy mess Max loved running his hands through.

“When we get married, you’re not allowed to do this to your hair. I like your waves.” Tears began streaming down Chris’s face. “I was wondering when you’d figure it out, you idiot,” Max said as he wiped his boyfriend’s cheeks tenderly. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry it took me this long,” Chris leaned into Max’s hand. 

“Better late than never, Shadowhunter,” Max whispered and pulled Chris into a punishing kiss, almost as if proving what they would have been missing if Chris hadn’t shown up in the training room, as if Chris didn’t already know. Sobs hiccupped out of Chris’s throat causing Max to pull away but he stayed close enough that they were still breathing the same air, but Chris still whined in worry, until he saw Max smile. “Did I get rusty in the past two weeks,” Max teased gently, nuzzling his nose affectionately against Chris’s. 

“Of course not, silly Blueberry,” Chris croaked with a smile that dropped as he continued. “I just almost ruined our lives.” 

“Shhh,” Max soothed with a light kiss, “I’m here, you’re here, that’s all that matters.” He kissed Chris again deeply, inhaling into the kiss, the smell of his lover filling his head and heart.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” a voice growled furiously. Chris’s parent’s ran into the room as Chris and Max parted. 

“Brant!” Alec said warningly as he, Magnus, Rafael and Stella entered shortly after the Rothschilds. 

“This doesn’t concern you, Lightwood,” Brant snarled, glaring at Chris as if he’d dishonored the family. Well, perhaps in Brant’s eyes he had. Max and Magnus both charged forward to defend Alec and Chris, but both were held back by their respective Shadowhunters. Max looked almost hurt until he realized Chris wasn’t holding back from attacking; he was pulling him back so he could get between Max and Brant. 

“Dad, you are whom none of this concerns. You threatened me into almost giving up the love of my life. You don’t get to do that; you don’t get to decide something about my life that affects the people I love most in the world.” Brant scoffed and Chris reached back and put his arm around Max’s waist. “You don’t get to ruin my life,” Chris stated. “When I get married, it will be to this man, and when Stella gets married, it will be to a man who loves her. You never should have tried to take that from us.” 

“This isn’t about you, Christopher,” Brant stated, causing Chris to laugh. Max looked at him confused, as Rafael smirked, rolling his eyes.

“Yes, Dad, actually, it is. It is about me and this Warlock and how for the past two weeks I haven’t been able to breathe because I didn’t know where he was. I couldn’t function because he was hurting and it was all my fault. You want me to carry on the Rothschild name? You want to force me to marry and—get Stella pregnant for something as stupid as the Rothschild name? That’s utter bullshit. Family names die out all the time! Trueblood, Whitelaw, even the Lightwood name really. It’s Lightwood Bane now. And after Jace and Clary’s daughter’s get married, the Herondale name will die out, but who gives a fuck? There are no noble names, no noble families. There are a few idiot Shadowhunter families who still believe that linage makes them special. Well it doesn’t. What makes a family special is how they fight for each other. How they sacrifice and love and take care of each other. I am honored to be in the Lightwood-Bane family.” Max grinned into Chris’s hair, his eyes still peeking over his red hair due to their height difference. Rafael, and Stella were beaming. Magnus and Alec were staring at him as if he had 3 heads, Chris imagined it was because of finding out what Brant and Jennifer had threatened him with. He was sure he was in for an ear full later. But Chris wasn’t done with his parents yet.

“You know when all this started and when it was happening, not once did they turn their back on me. Not once did Alec and Magnus get angry with me for breaking their son’s heart. They made sure I was okay, made sure I knew I was still loved and safe. And I never thought of you as bad parents, hell I think that’s why this destroyed me so much. You two supported me my whole life, loved me, celebrated with me, you welcomed Max with open arms. Then all of a sudden you were threatening to take all of this away from me, for biological grandchildren? I hope in time you realize how fucked that is.” 

Magnus turned at what Chris just said and narrowed his eyes at the Rothchilds. He turned to Alec who was clearly just as taken aback and angry about it as Magnus. They tried to rip Max and Chris apart because of blood lines? How medival was that? Political marriages still happened too but to insure bloodlines? 

“We would never have allowed that to happen,” Magnus snarled. “I am High Warlock of Brooklyn married to the Head of the Institute of New York, you think there is a single Warlock that hasn’t heard of Max Lightwood-Bane? You think there is a Warlock alive who would risk their life to do that for you? How stupid can you be?”

“Not to mention breaking the Accords,” Magnus had to keep himself from rolling his eyes at the fact that that’s where Alec’s mind went after hearing all that. 

“I have half a mind to portal you two to where not even demons can sniff you out,” Magnus continued. “However since Chris didn’t tell us any of this, I have to believe he doesn’t wish for you to be punished in such a way,” he looked over at Chris who had tears of gratitude in his eyes as Max hugged him from behind, kissing the side of his face every so often. 

“Magnus might look at it that way,” Alec bit, “I however, have the power to send you two to places far worse than the Void with creatures far worse than demons for what you have done to my sons.” Chris blinked rapidly when he realized Alec was including him in ‘sons’. Brant scowled deeply, realizing the same thing. 

Brant opened his mouth to speak, but Jennifer elbowed him hard, “Shut up, Brant,” she snapped, looking at Chris and Max before turning back to the other set of parents. “You’re right,” she agreed. She turned and looked at Alec and Magnus who stared steely back. “If you’d be willing to house Avery, I think perhaps we should put in a transfer to the London Institute.” 

Alec had wanted to tell them to put in their transfer to a remote island where the locals still ate people, but instead he nodded sharply, looking at Chris for his approval. 

Chris, however, was looking at Max, “This is me, fighting for us.” He sounded insecure in a way he hadn’t less than a minute ago. 

Max grinned, kissing him, “And this is me, always believing that you would.” He waved his hand and a portal appeared and they jumped in without looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be at least one more chapter maybe two. depending.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update! I'm a working girl so I got busy. Hope you enjoyed it!!!

It had been a month since Chris and Max had jumped into the portal. Texts, pictures, and phone calls had been received, allowing Magnus and Alec to go through their days without worrying about the two boys. Well…without worrying too much. It was still Max, after all. Rafael missed them, but he certainly had a nice distraction in Stella. 

Chris’s mouth fell open when he and Max entered the Institute to find Rafael’s face next to Stella’s as the two giggled lightly, both sets of their hands joined palm to palm. Max let out a chuckle at spotting his brother, the sound catching Rafael’s attention causing him to snap his face to them. 

“Max! Chris,” he cried happily and released Stella to run over to them, throwing his arms around them happily. “You’re back,” he said, his face between them. They both hugged Rafael back, equally as tightly, but then Chris playfully smacked his back as he pulled away.

“Looks like you’ve had some good company without us though,” he teased, grinning at Stella who beamed back, joining them, her hand slipping back into Rafael’s. 

“Oh, she’s far better company than either of you,” Rafael joked back, ruffling Max’s hair. 

Max grinned. He hadn’t seen his brother this happy before. Stella giggled joyfully and Chris’s stomach lurched. He had almost taken so much from them. Stella was giddy and bouncy, the way she never could have been with him. 

“Where have you guys been,” Stella asked, leaning closer to Rafael who mirrored, so that they were overlapping and their arms were intertwined as their hands rejoined. It was clear to see this was an easy relationship for both of them, like they were meant to fit together. 

“We went to Prague first,” Max claimed. 

Rafael scoffed in annoyance. “You always go! I can’t believe you went without me,” he claimed, but Max just chuckled and continued.

“Then we went to Brazil, New Zealand, and we went back to Mexico. Had a couple memories from there we needed to fix,” Max said with a soft smile. Chris smiled in response, kissing Max’s cheek lightly. Stella watched them with awe. She hadn’t had the chance to see them like this, had never seen them without pain. The love hadn’t changed, but it was radiant this time, both of them handsome and glowing in their glee. 

They continued to list where they’d gone, occasionally to blush and grin about certain locations that they ‘wouldn’t want to know about’, which Rafe and Stella knew meant makeup sex. Rafael had rolled his eyes; as if he didn’t know they had been going at it like rabbits. However, it was great to see the two back where they belong, shining in each other’s eyes as they kissed every other sentence and flirted with every word spoken to each other. But beyond that, it was really nice to be able to do the same with Stella. Even if he didn’t kiss every word because PDA was not something Rafael felt the need to show. He loved holding Stella’s hand and even being close in her space, but kissing and such wasn’t something he wanted to share. Thankfully Stella felt the same way and wasn’t offended when he didn’t lean in to kiss her in front of other people. 

“Hey we got a greater demon in the Bronx,” Cole’s voice hit them. “Blue!” he greeted his friend with a grin, throwing an arm around the Warlock. “You want to come with us? Be nice to be a full team with extra back up,” Cole suggested. 

“Whoa wait! No. These two have no business going out right now,” Stella interrupted.

“Yeah, no way! They’ve been out of training for a month. Look at the flab on Chris,” Rafael smacked his Parabatai’s six-pack stomach. 

“Oh yeah?” Chris pretended to be offended and moved to fight Rafael who quickly moved out of the way.

“Yeah, see? You’re getting slow, missed again,” Rafael teased and Max blinked in surprise. Rafael and Chris had always been like that, but Rafael had been the one to initiate it this time. Since when did that happen? His eyes moved to Stella who was watching the two spar, shaking her head. She was responsible. 

“Guys. Seriously. Greater demon. Bronx. Let’s go,” Cole said, huffing. Max chuckled and threw his arm around Cole’s shoulder.

“It’ll still be there in a couple minutes, Cole,” he claimed.

Cole sighed and nodded, nudging Max, saying, “An entire month? Seriously?” 

“Yeah we had a lot of…making up to do,” Max said with a wink when Chris grinned like the cat that caught the canary. 

“Ew,” Cole said, as Rafael and Chris stopped messing around and walked back over to them. “All right let’s go,” he said and with a snap of Max’s fingers they were all in battle gear with weapons. 

Stella yelped, but Rafael smiled and took her hand. “Warn a girl next time,” she scolded. 

Max laughed, “Sorry, I didn’t think about it.” 

He definitely had, and he’d definitely hoped she’d react that way. He liked Stella just fine, but he couldn’t help the protective feeling that bubbled up in his gut as she let Rafael tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. She’d been willing to marry Chris against his will, so what would she get his brother into?

“Are you sure, Rafa? I mean, they have been gone a while,” Stella whispered, even though Chris heard. 

“Yeah, they’ll be okay. I wouldn’t let them go if I thought they wouldn’t,” he promised. She looked uncertain and Rafael plucked her bow string. “Have faith in your boyfriend, yeah? I am after all 14-2 in kicking your ass at shooting and hand to hand.” 

“You keep distracting me during hand to hand and you know it! Don’t you act all innocent,” she said grinning as he playfully danced around her. 

Chris stared at his Parabatai. He’d thought the happiness that consumed him had been all his, but clearly he’d been getting a lot of Rafael’s too. Stella laughed at Rafael’s antics before grabbing his arm and letting her hand travel down to grab his hand, squeezing it with a smile. Rafael smiled back at her and then dramatically leaned back to check out her ass. She gasped in fake indignance and smacked his shoulder, but they both continued to smile.

“Holy shit, is this what we’re like,” Chris asked Cole who glanced back at Rafael and Stella with a smirk.

“Oh, you two are far worse, but give them more than a month, and they’ll be just as insufferable,” he claimed.

“A month?! When did you guys start this?” Chris asked. 

Rafael looked less than guilty as he pretended to think, answering, “Well, right after you left to go get Max, I asked her out. We went to get coffee about, mmm, what was it Stel?”

“About 3 minutes after you guys went into the portal,” she claimed with a spark in her eye. 

“Ah yeah, so three minutes after you left,” Rafael claimed with a grin that usually was only seen when it was just the three of them. 

“Ouch, I’m hurt,” Chris put his hand on his heart. “I leave you at the alter and you couldn’t even pretend to mourn,” he laughed before lopping to catch up with Max. Rafael sighed happily, watching Chris and Max laughing and talking. 

“This is what he’s really like. None of that mopey, crying crap. He’s an idiot.” 

“I heard that,” Chris called.

“Good, I meant for you to,” Rafael said back and Stella chuckled. 

“I much prefer this version,” Stella claimed. “Even though he’s still a pain in the ass,” she said teasingly.

“I thought you liked a good pain in your ass,” Rafael murmured thinking he was being quiet but since the other three had stopped talking, they all heard. 

“Rafael!” She screeched as Rafael laughed and dodged her swat. “I am going to put a pain in your ass!” She said, blushing even as she shook her head. Max and Chris stared at Rafael, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open. “What?” Stella asked. Surely they didn’t think Rafael was a virgin. 

“Did Rafael Santiago Lightwood-Bane just make a sex joke?!” Max asked, a grin appearing on his face. 

Rafael rolled his eyes. “I’m not a prude guys. I had sex before you two even started dating,” he said casually. 

“Well yeah! But you don’t talk about it!” Max claimed excitedly. 

“Oh my god,” Rafael rolled his eyes, even as his cheeks reddened. “It’s not that big of a deal,” he grumbled. He hadn’t meant for them to hear it.

“Not that big of a deal?” Chris asked. “Not only did you just make a sex joke—about butt sex I might add!—but you made it in front of multiple people!!! I’ve never even heard you make one and you’ve only been with her a month!” Rafael bit on his lower lips, his eyes going to his fingers as he began to pick his nails. 

“Okay, that’s enough,” Max said. “I don’t want to know more about my brother’s sex life, thank you,” he claimed. It had been fine when Rafael had been in on the joke, but Max wasn’t about to make fun of his brother without his consent.

“But I do! I—” 

A glare and a sharp jab to his side from Max’s elbow silenced Chris quickly. Rafael smiled gratefully at his brother who winked at him. 

“Why couldn’t this thing have come to Brooklyn or Manhattan?” Max grumbled, “I hate the Bronx.”

“Better than having to go to Long Island,” Rafael reminded him. 

Max shuttered, “You’ve got me there.” They all chuckled as Max waved his hand and opened a portal to the medium dreaded Bronx. 

The greater demon should have gone down without any problem, now that the trio was back together. Stella watched, her eyes wide in awe. She knew Rafael was a good fighter; she’d lost to him more times then she cared to think about even though she knew the exact count since Rafael like to remind her of it often. However, watching him with Chris and Max—it was more of a dance than a fight. They finished each other’s motions, stepping in perfect sync. She’d seen Alec and Jace fight together on a mission she had went on recently, but what Rafael and Chris seemed to have was beyond Parabatai, especially since they were throwing Max in there. She assumed the Warlock would rely on his magic, but he only used his magic as an extension of himself, like Chris used the sword and Rafael used his bow. 

Cole sighed as he stood next to her. “I don’t know why I felt the need to come. These three always hog the fun stuff,” he playfully jabbed. In reality, it was really good to see the three fighting together again. It was always entertaining to watch them. Max sent his magic out and it sliced through four demons and they exploded before Max turned quickly and sent another demon smashing into the wall. 

Stella let out a nervous chuckle. “He’s more powerful than he lets on, isn’t he,” Stella asked Cole who chuckled, patting her shoulder.

“Let’s just say…he could have stopped that wedding with a wiggle of his pinky.” 

“So why didn’t he,” Stella asked. 

Cole looked up to see Max spin around Rafael who shot an arrow at a demon just far enough away. Chris then covered Rafael, stabbing into a demon. 

“Because Max’s heart will always be the strongest part of him. He lets people make the right decisions on their own. His temper is not something to mess with, but he’d never hurt someone who didn’t deserve it.” Stella looked at her boyfriend’s brother and he grinned and winked at Chris when Rafael flipped over Max, shooting a demon from the air mid-flip. 

“Showoff,” Max called when Rafael landed. Rafael laughed and jabbed an arrow in his hand into a demon’s temple, pulling it out and firing at another demon. 

“Maybe you just can’t keep up,” Rafael responded. Chris grinned at the brother’s teasing each other. He knew how important they were to each other, and he knew Max had missed Rafael for the past month more than he’d ever admit out loud. 

Rafael deserved both Chris’s and Max’s thanks for everything he’d done for both of them during the whole wedding thing. He’d supported them both, never telling either one of them he was wrong, but both of them had known he would do whatever they needed him to, including but not limited to murder.

“Hey, Miss 14-2 wanna help,” Rafael called to Stella who chuckled. She knew Rafael had a playful side to go with his grouchy outer layer, but seeing him with his brother and Parabatai brought out a completely different side of this boy and she loved it. It felt like she was seeing the full picture for the first time. 

“Nah, you guys seem to have it under control,” she responded, leaning against a wall casually. Rafael laughed, and, after killing five more demons, the three boys turned to the other two. 

“Thanks for the help, guys,” Chris said shoving Cole playfully. Cole chuckled and moved to shove him back, but Chris dodged and grabbed Max’s hand, kissing it before Max waved his hand to open a portal. Rafael smiled watching the two jump into the portal hand in hand. Things were back where they were supposed to be. Or, as he took Stella’s hand in his own, maybe a little better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I don't hate the Bronx haha. It's just an inside joke with people who work with me in Brooklyn because my jobs main base is at the Bronx and Brooklyn isn't treated as well. So Max bitching about the Bronx is just to make myself chuckle. (Long Island is the worst tho) lol
> 
> ALSO if anyone would like the chapter about the Warlock who the Rothschild hired. Let me know in the comments. I haven't finished it so you'll have to wait but... I may be persuaded to post it if enough ppl are curious.


	9. Epilogue... kinda.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Official final chapter. The warlock involved is revealed!!!

“Magnus! Can you tell me how to get these stupid, stuck-up-the-asshole Shadowhunters to—“ 

Vanya came into the apartment via portal, his hair spiked into a short faux-hawk, dark wings spread in anger. He cut himself off upon seeing the full family and Chris sitting at the kitchen table. 

“—current Shadowhunter company not included in that,” he finished quickly. 

Alec chuckled lightly, smiling at the young warlock. He’d grown to like him quite a lot, and Vanya knew he was always welcome in Magnus and Alec’s home, even if Magnus didn’t always approve of his antics, particularly when they included Max.

“No worries. Have you eaten? I can grab you a plate,” Alec offered. 

Vanya smirked; a caregiver down to his bone, Alec Lightwood always looked after those who couldn’t look after themselves. Magnus was the same way; he just went about it differently. Magnus always took more of a tough love approach than Alec. Vanya believed that the two immortals would live forever taking in Downworlder and Shadowhunter children whose biological family couldn’t find the ability to love them. 

“What happened with the asshole Shadowhunters,” Rafael asked. 

“Ugh, I was hired to do a service, or, really to possibly do a service, but you know I still have a cancellation fee! They knew this when we made the deal. But now they’ve run off and guess who hasn’t been paid his cancellation fee,” Vanya huffed. 

“Why would you take a job that wasn’t guaranteed in the first place,” Max asked, stuffing food in his mouth. Chris watched him with morbid fascination. It didn’t matter how long they were together, watching Max eat was more aggressive than feeding time at the zoo. 

“I wasn’t going to do what they hired me for anyway, but $10,000 is a lot to say no to,” Vanya admitted.

Magnus chuckled, “Oh the days of making only $10,000,” he teased, winking at Alec who rolled his eyes and shook his head. 

“Who are they? Maybe I can help you out,” Alec offered. Vanya smiled at the older Shadowhunter. No matter the trouble Vanya got Max into, Alec was the first to offer to help get him out of it. He treated Vanya with respect and care, more than Vanya’s own adoptive father had. 

“Oh no, I don’t want to take advantage of you,” Vanya replied. As grateful as he was, he couldn’t put Alec out, couldn’t ask him to use his status as Head for his personal gain. 

“But you don’t mind taking advantage of me,” Magnus exclaimed, pretending to be offended. 

Vanya chuckled. “Nah, you need to be used and abused,” he teased in response. 

“Hey, now, that’s exclusively my job,” Alec claimed, winking at Magnus who grinned and preened playfully in his seat. 

Max rolled his eyes and grumbled, “We get it, you two are the kinkiest, cutest, most in love couple ever.” 

Rafael laughed, “You’re just jealous cuz you and Chris are so damn vanilla.” 

Max glared at Rafael while Chris kicked him under the table, which just made the other four laugh.  
“Anyway…” Max said, looking at Vanya, “What happened?” 

Alec smirked at his son’s terrible attempt to get the spotlight off him and his sex life. 

“Yeah, do you know where they ran off to,” Alec asked. 

Magnus paused and wondered who would hire a Warlock for a job that they may or may not need a Warlock.

“Wait, what was the job,” Magnus asked. 

Vanya scoffed, rolling his eyes and setting his jaw. “It was so gross. They wanted me to remove their son’s memory. Who does that? They claimed it was because they wanted him to forget someone who caused him trauma, but I happen to believe that pain makes us strong. I was going to tell them I was out, but then they suddenly changed their minds, I guess, and moved to the London Institute, which I tried to—“ 

He cut himself off, realizing that everyone in the room was staring at him. Everyone, that is, except Max; he was staring ahead, hands planted on the table in front of him. 

“What? I said I wasn’t going to do it! I was going to take away his pain, not his memories,” Vanya swore as the family looked at him as if he were suddenly dangerous. “Guys, come on I—”

“Rothschild,” Max said with his teeth still clenched. Vanya looked at him tilting his head. Max refused to look at him, but when Rafael reached out and grabbed Max’s hand he saw the clench in the blue warlock’s jaw relax slightly. 

“Vanya,” Magnus began with a calmness that put Vanya on edge, “is the name of the clients Rothschild,” he asked. Vanya looked at Alec who had reached out and was rubbing up and down Magnus’s spine as Rafael had moved his chair closer to Max in order to reach over and touch Chris. Speaking of Chris, the red head looked like he was about to break, like his heart was sitting in front of him and Vanya held the hammer that would shatter it. 

“Yes. Why? Do you know them?”

Several things happened at once. First the table split in two, Max’s magic sizzling in the air. Second, Magnus jumped to his feet, Alec following and putting his hands on both of Magnus’s biceps from behind as if physically holding him back. Rafael moved to put both hands on Chris’s forearms and pressed their foreheads together in a Parabatai bond position. Max remained physically motionless, but with rare red magic snapping towards Vanya, the only thing protecting the other Warlock was his own instinct, putting up a shield in time. 

“For Lilith’s sake, tell me what I did! Who are these people? I didn’t do anything! I wasn’t going to do anything,” Vanya yelled as Max’s magic tried again before Chris moved his hand to touch Max. Rafael didn’t move from his position and Chris didn’t try to get out of it, but he grabbed Max’s elbow and the magic faded. Max exhaling heavily as he finally released the table to grab Chris’s hand. 

“You wouldn’t remember Chris’s last name; you probably haven’t heard it since they were little,” Alec said softly, looking at the three younger boys who were clinging to each other. Vanya slowly lowered his shield as Alec let go of Magnus’s arms but linked their fingers, sending tension out of his husband. Vanya searched his mind. Chris? What the hell did Chris have to do with this? What was his last name? It was an old Shadowhunter name. Rothsblood, Norschild, OH! Rothschi—. Every ounce of color faded from Vanya’s face. Suddenly he didn’t care if he got barbequed by Magnus or Max or skewered by Rafael and Alec. He knelt on the other side of Chris, opposite Max who growled protectively when Vanya touched Chris’s shoulder. Rafael grunted and looked down at Vanya’s hand but didn’t say or do anything else. 

“Oh Chris, I am so sorry. I didn’t know. If I’d known I would have sent them to the middle of a volcano,” Vanya said, his voice genuine and contrite. Chris turned his head towards him slightly, still not moving away from Rafael. “I wasn’t going to do it. The second they told me what they wanted me to do, I knew I wouldn’t. I should have walked away, but honestly I was afraid if I did they’d find a Warlock who would do what they were asking. I knew I could go along with it and then just do a pain relief spell.” Vanya pleaded with the young Shadowhunter to understand. Vanya would never hurt anyone like that. He was a troublemaker who often bit of more than he could chew trying to prove himself, but he didn’t treat magic as a weapon against teenagers. 

“They worded it like you’d been hurt by the person I was supposed to be removing from your memory, but I still would never do that,” he said the last part to Magnus who despite the scowl on his face, nodded. He knew Vanya well enough to know the younger Warlock was reckless, not cruel.

“I don’t know if I’m glad to find out it was you or not,” Chris breathed softly. Only the complete silence in the room made it audible. “I believe you, by the way,” Chris said, actually turning to look at Vanya fully this time. Rafael’s forehead still pressed against his temple. Alec imagined the emotions the two were experiencing right now were rather intense. 

Vanya exhaled in relief at the words, turning to Max who was glaring daggers at him, but his magic had quieted, so Vanya took that as a win. 

“If I’d known it was you, I would have fought my parents. I would have said no. I would have proved much sooner to Max that I love him enough to fight for him,” Chris said guiltily. 

Max’s face fully softened and he shushed Chris gently, leaning in closer to his brother and boyfriend. “I never doubted your love for me, babe, not for a second,” Max claimed, kissing the part of his neck he could get to. 

Chris let out a shaky breath, then looked back at Vanya. “I’ll give you what they owe you,” he said. Alec opened his mouth to speak, but Vanya shook his head. 

“They owe me much more than a $5,000 cancellation fee for attempting to use me to hurt my friend. I’ll deal with it,” Vanya promised. “But, can I tell you something, about your mom? We can go somewhere else if you want,” Vanya suggested even though every Lightwood-Bane tensed and shifted, but Chris smiled sadly. 

“Nah, they stuck by me through all this. Anything you have to say about my parents, you can say in front of them,” he stated, squeezing Max’s hand. Vanya nodded, not really expecting Chris would want to go somewhere else, but giving the option anyway. 

“Your mother called me about a week after your father made the initial deal,” Chris swallowed hard but nodded at Vanya to continue. “She told me she had hurt you more than anyone else possibly could have, and she wanted me to take the pain she’d caused away. She even offered me triple. She wanted you to remember, so you could hate her if you felt you should, but she didn’t want you to hurt because of what she had allowed to happen.” Vanya explained softly. Chris blinked several times looking at the Warlock, his wings were curled tightly around his back in a signal of insecurity. Chris moved his arm, separating Rafael’s hand for the first time since they’d realized what was happening, and put it on Vanya’s arm. The Warlock flinched minutely before stilling in a way that told Magnus he was willing to let whatever pain was about to befall him happen. 

“Thank you,” Chris whispered. Vanya’s eyes widened in surprise and Chris smirked. “Thank you for telling me all of that. And thank you for never being willing to do that to someone,” he shuddered at the thought and gripped Max’s hand even tighter. “Though now that I really think about it, knowing how many Warlocks know Magnus, I was foolish in ever thinking it would happen. I was just scared,” Chris admitted. 

Vanya shook his head. “You were right to be scared,” he admitted. “Sure, all New York Warlocks respect Magnus and would never go against him, but even I didn’t know who the person was whose memories I’d been paid to take, and I’m closer to you than most,” Vanya explained and Chris shivered at the thought of how many Warlocks would have indeed not recognized him outside of the context of being the Parabatai and boyfriend of Alec and Magnus’s sons. Vanya inhaled. “I should go,” he murmured and stood, but Alec walked around the table to grab the young Warlock’s arm. 

“Do you want to handle the Rothschilds or do you want me to,” Alec asked, no judgement in his tone, only concern. Magnus had a look of affection on his face that caused Vanya to fully calm and relax, knowing he wasn’t going to be exiled from their lives, though he knew it would take Max a while to forgive him. 

Vanya sighed. “I would like to be a grownup Warlock and deal with it myself,” he answered, making Alec and Magnus smirk. “But I wouldn’t have come in the first place if it had been that easy,” he claimed, looking down hesitatingly. “The London Institute is not as friendly to Downworlders as yours is, and since Aline left it’s gotten even worse and I—” 

Vanya saw Alec tense and scowl, and he almost flinched away before remembering Alec wasn’t the one with the temper, at least not directed at loved ones. 

“What did they say? Did they hurt you,” Alec asked, scanning Vanya’s body as if he wouldn’t have already been healed if something had happened. Now even Max looked concerned, Magnus stepped around the table as well, ready to defend if needed. 

“No, I mean not physically, they—they just made it clear Downworlders were not welcome and it—“ Vanya sighed, seeing in Alec’s stance and eyes that he wanted details of what was said. “They said something like ‘Just because the New York Institute let’s your filthy kind wander around, doesn’t mean we do,’” he said, putting on a terrible British accent in hopes of lighting the mood. “It wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before,” Vanya finished. Chris and Rafael were scowling and Max had a furrow of his eyebrow. Magnus was practically twitching in annoyance, and Alec looked dangerous. “Alec it’s not—“

“It’s a huge deal,” Alec bit, though Vanya knew the anger wasn’t directed at him. “Should have known Evelyn would have left it to someone with the same disgusting views as herself. Don’t worry, it’ll be handled,” he said firmly to Vanya.

“Please don’t get into any trouble because of me,” Vanya pleaded. 

Alec waved his hand, “Don’t worry, I was acting head of that place not that long ago. We’ll get this sorted out and you will get your full fee from the Rothschilds.” Vanya looked taken aback, but the rest of them looked contented at Alec’s decision, even Chris.

“But I—“

“Hush,” Magnus said, “Let Alec help, plus that Institute could use a lesson in politeness.” 

“As could the Rothschilds,” Max grumbled.

Chris smirked and nudged him gently. “My hero.” Max raised his eyebrow before he smirked and shrugged. Chris smiled before looking back up at Alec and requested, “Could I be there when you make that call?”

Max opened his mouth to protest but Alec hummed, “I was going to portal and have a little one on one, but maybe it’s a little early for that?”

“It’s been over a month! And to be perfectly honest, I would like to see their faces when you tell them you’ve spoken to the Warlock they hired,” Chris responded. Alec looked at Magnus who shrugged with an ‘it’s up to you’ face. He then looked at Max who shook his head and Rafael who just nodded once. 

“All right,” Alec agreed. 

“Dad!” Max cried in annoyance. 

“Max, he’s a grown man who can think for himself,” Rafael responded, “If he wants to go, why would we stop him?”

“Him is right here,” Chris said waving his hand. Max looked at him and there was no longer anger or annoyance in his face, but worry and maybe a little fear. “You’ll get wrinkles,” he whispered as he gently rubbed out Max’s furrowed brow. “I’ll be with your dad the entire time; no one is going to try anything if I’m with the Alec Lightwood-Bane.” Max rolled his eyes, but they still shone with concern. “Come on, Blue, I’ll be fine,” he leaned forward and kissed Max’s temple before looking up at Magnus and Alec who were whispering quickly and quietly to each other. Magnus nodded in his direction while Alec nodded in Rafael’s. It was now Chris’s turn to look confused. 

“Alright!” Alec said in still a hushed voice but now everyone could hear him. They all looked at him expectantly. “Magnus and I have been talking about it and I don’t think these two would object, but would you like to become a Lightwood-Bane? I can fill out the paperwork and it wouldn’t be adoption, but—”

“No!” Max said harshly, causing everyone to look at him surprised. Chris just looked hurt, he thought Max would want him to share his last name. “That’s my question to ask! Not yours! And I haven’t gotten a ring or anything. You can’t just go around asking other people’s boyfriends to take their last name!” Chris laughed in relief and took Max’s hand. Alec grinned and rolled his eyes and Magnus just smiled happily. “Now when I ask that question, it’s not going to be as special because you already asked it,” the blue Warlock pouted. Chris tugged on his hand to get his attention, which he got, slowly. That bottom lip stuck out, making him look more like he was 7 than 17. 

“Knowing you Blue, you will write it in the stars, so it wouldn’t matter if I already had your last name. It’d still be the greatest proposal ever,” Chris promised.

“Ah! Second greatest. Alec’s will always win,” Alec grinned at Magnus and leaned in for a kiss. 

Vanya watched the couples, and turned to Rafael, asking, “Are they always like this?” He already knew the answer but he had rarely been around all four of them in the privacy of their own home.

“Yeah,” Rafael responded with an eye roll. “I have to admit I wasn’t as upset about you and Madzie breaking up as I should have been, mostly because I don’t think I could have stood all 6 of you!” Vanya chuckled and ruffled Rafael’s hair. 

“You’ll find yours one day and then you’ll be as disgustingly cute as they are,” he claimed. 

“God I hope not,” Rafael responded, making everyone laugh. Rafael really liked Stella, but he knew she was no Magnus or Chris. She was great and he enjoyed every moment spent with her, but she wasn’t that take-your-breath-away, heart-beats-faster kind of stuff that his parents and brother talked about. Still, he would let it happen as it did, without forcing or holding back. 

 

The next day, Alec and Chris portaled into the London Instituted unannounced as they didn’t deserve Alec’s respect after the way they treated Vanya. The Head of the Institute was a slender woman with a turned up nose and bad teeth and maybe it was a stereotype for a reason. 

“To what do we owe the honor of Alec Lightwood paying us a visit?” 

Chris narrowed his eyes at the woman for ignoring the other half of Alec’s name. Alec had his face somewhere between neutral to resting bitch, however you wanted to look at him. He was dressed in long lines and leather—Magnus’s influence clear. 

“A couple of things,” Alec said quickly. “Firstly, this Institute disrespected a Warlock under my protection and I do not appreciate it, nor did he. He came here to speak to a pair of Shadowhunters originally from New York who did not pay him for his services despite their arrangement and was not treated with any kind of decency. He wasn’t asking to deal with the Institute but rather those two individuals and you managed to insult my Institute and him in one breath. I just wanted to inform you that until you change your ways you will not be able to count on the New York Institute if you are ever in the need of assistance.” 

The woman appeared to have smelt something foul as her nose turned up even higher and she was looking at Alec and Chris as if they were slime on her shoe. Chris knew bigotry ran deep in Shadowhunter blood, but being in NY was like being in a bubble, a bubble created and fiercely defended by Alec and Magnus. It was jarring to be in a place where he was aware he was viewed as more of a person than Max. There was the random asshole that would pass through the Institute that would have something to say about the Downworlders in the Institute, but they were shut down so quickly it was never a real issue. Anyone who hadn’t been able to get behind Alec’s way of doing things had long ago been transferred out. 

“Mr. Lightwood I—“ she began, her tone twisted and harsh, but Alec was not a pushover, nor was he finished.

“It’s Lightwood-Bane. And secondly, I would like to speak to the Shadowhunters who owe the Warlock his due payment. They have quite a few things that need to be discussed and though I would like to know where they are without have to search them out, that will not stop me from finding them.” Chris made another note to never be on the receiving end of Alec’s temper. He couldn’t imagine it was an enjoyable experience. “The Rothschilds, Marigold, right now.” The woman, Marigold apparently, blinked in surprise before a voice grabbed all three Shadowhunters’ attentions.

“Christopher.” 

“Mom,” Chris breathed, gulping as the woman clearly looked like she wanted to hug her son but refrained, staring at him as if she hadn’t seen him in years not a month. 

“Alec,” she greeted respectfully. Alec looked at Chris before nodding at her.

“Hello, Jennifer,” he replied before turning back to Marigold, his distain for her obviously far greater than any animosity he had towards Jennifer. “This is one of the people I wish to speak with so your assistance is no longer required. If I hear of any other Downworlders coming here in peace to discuss matters that you have no business interfering in, I will be back. And Marigold, you do not want me to come back.” It was a threat and a promise and it had Marigold getting out of his line of fire as quickly as possible. Alec turned back to Jennifer who Chris had moved towards. Alec wasn’t going to stop Chris from speaking to his mother though he did tense slightly, his instinct wanting to reach out, but he held himself back, letting the younger man approach her. 

“Hi,” he whispered before pulling her into a hug. Tears began streaming down her face and for a moment Alec felt sorry for her, until he remembered she’d been a part of breaking his son’s heart. The most he could do was not begrudge Chris if he chose to forgive her. Chris pulled back sooner than Jennifer would have liked, clearing his throat professionally. “We need to speak with you,” he claimed and she deflated upon remembering this was not a happy reunion for her and Chris. 

“About the Warlock,” Jennifer said stiffly.

Alec opened his mouth, annoyed that she called him “the warlock” instead of Vanya, as if a title would dehumanize him. Except that’s exactly what it did, what it had done for centuries.

“Vanya, his name is Vanya,” Chris snapped before Alec had the chance. “The person you and Dad were going to use to hurt me. His name is Vanya, and he is a friend of Magnus and Alec’s,” Jennifer paled slightly at this information. “And you own him $10,000.” 

“We are not paying one cent to that useless thing,” Chris and Alec both tensed up ten times more at that voice.

“I will mind you to not speak about people I respect and care about that way,” Alec growled. Brant squared his shoulders and didn’t back away.

“You are no longer my boss, I don’t have to do jack shit,” Brant replied, his eyes flashing with fury.

“What happened to you?” Chris asked softly, causing the three older Shadowhunters to turn to him, Alec and Jennifer with a more curious expression, Brant just looked annoyed. “You’ve known Max most of his life, you’ve had him over for dinner, it was your idea! Nothing has changed, why are you suddenly this bigoted asshole?”

Brant stared at him for a moment, seemingly without an answer so Chris continued, “It can’t be about grandkids, Dad, it really can’t. So please, explain it to me.” Again there was no response and Chris scoffed, “I don’t want to ever see you again.” 

“The feeling is mutual,” Brant said, turning away and attempted to bring Jennifer with him but she jerked out of his touch. 

“Not for me,” she bit. “He is my son, and paying the 10,000 is what we are going to do, because we fucked up Brant, whether you see it or not, we did.”

“We are not paying $10,000 for a job that wasn’t done!” Brant cried but Jennifer shook her head, “It’s our money and I won’t sign off on it.”

“I was a Ashmoore before I met you, honey,” she spit the word ‘honey’ as if she hoped it would poison her husband. “I have my own money, so I will give Chris the money, and if he chose not to keep me out of his life, I-“ her voice broke, “I would understand.” 

Chris looked up at Alec who just looked back at him, clearly giving him the decision. 

“No, I-I mean, you could always visit,” Chris replied. Jennifer’s face lit up and she threw her arms around her son who hugged her back. Brant stormed away but neither other Rothschild noticed. 

“I- I am so sorry for hurting you, and for hurting Max,” Jennifer said into Chris’s shoulder. 

Chris held her tighter, “Vanya told me what you tried to do, thank you.” 

“It was the very, very least I could do.”

Once the matter was settled and Jennifer had transferred the money to Vanya, mother and son made tentative plans, they portaled into the Alec’s office. 

“Thank you, Alec, I really appreciate everything during this nightmare,” Chris said with a soft small. “And- if you don’t want my mom here I can meet her elsewhere, it’s fine,” he finished. 

“Eh, the moms of the Head of the Institute and the future Head of the Institute, their moms are always welcome here, dads… well dads only come on official business,” Alec responded with a wink. 

Chris laughed and nodded, “That is an excellent policy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That is officially it! Hope you all enjoyed this last little bit!


End file.
